VIDALIA, La. &045; &uot;Bring your supper, toothbrush, whatever Š&uot; boardmember Darrell M. Crofford told the crowd at the Concordia Parish School Board special meeting Tuesday night after they voted not to leave their Nov. 11 meeting until they elected a superintendent.

The special meeting was called Tuesday night to discuss the seven applicants for superintendent and consider appointing a superintendent.

After two voting sessions, no superintendent was named &045; but in two weeks there will be. After about an hour in executive session Tuesday night, the board returned to regular session to vote.

Crofford’s motion set up the voting procedure, that each member vote for two candidates to &uot;narrow the field down to two candidates.&uot;

Only four candidates received votes &045; Fred T. Butcher, interim superintendent for the district, Kerry Laster of Shreveport, former Superintendent James Lee and Julius Huhn, director of federal programs for the district.

Laster and Huhn received the two top spots with five votes apiece. After narrowing the field, the board voted on the two candidates, each receiving three votes apiece with three board members abstaining.

The board returned to executive session and returned with a motion from Crofford to stay until &uot;we go home with a superintendent.&uot;

&uot;I think we owe it to the public to come back with a superintendent,&uot; he said.

The vote failed, however, and Raymond T. Riley Sr. voted to place the election of a superintendent on the agenda of the regular board meeting in November. That vote passed, and then Crofford made his motion to stay until one was elected in November, &uot;rather than walk away like we did today,&uot; he said.

Board President Ernest Lynn White said that is why he asked Riley to change his motion from appoint to elect a superintendent.

After former superintendent Lester &uot;Pete&uot; Peterman retired from the position at the end of June, the board has voted on a superintendent twice &045; once in July and once in August &045; but deadlocked on three candidates, Butcher, Huhn and Laster, both times.

In that Aug. 12 meeting, the board voted to readvertise for superintendent, receiving seven applications for the position during the second advertisement.

The board interviewed all seven candidates last Monday and Tuesday night in executive session before calling a special meeting to discuss and appoint a superintendent.

In other business Tuesday night, the board entered executive session with Butcher to discuss legal issues facing the school district.